I have always had a fear of cauliflower—maybe its the fact that its a white vegetable or maybe its cause it looks like a tree!  Whatever the case, it just plain scares me—but then everyone started making cauliflower rice and pizza crusts and it sounded so interesting to me I had to give it a try! I have to thank Cassy from the fabulous blog Fed & Fit for helping me conquer my fear of cauliflower rice as I tried her recipe and absolutely loved it! I decided to add a whole bunch of herbs, butter and garlic to create a basic grain free herbed rice recipe with a lot of flavor.

Last month, I had a fabulous opportunity to go to Las Vegas for a week to cook for a family and inspire them to healthier eating.  We cooked, ate and laughed a lot! I wanted to teach the mom some basic recipes that incorporate healthy eating but at the same time practical for a busy lifestyle and something the kids would want to eat!  We made my grain and nut free sandwich bread as well as my grain free, white fluffy rolls and basic granola recipe found in my ebook, Festive Eats…and of course we made Against All Grain’s famous chocolate chip cookies.  It was wonderful to watch the kids try something new and most of the time not even realize they were eating grain and gluten free!

I wanted to share a basic grain free rice recipe with you all as a side dish for your favorite grilled or roasted meats or even sausages.  Cauliflower is not only a low carb and starch free option but also a great source of vitamin C, fiber and sulfur, which aids the body’s detoxification process.  I must say these grilled chicken sausages with a bit of marinara and a scoop of cauliflower rice have become a favorite meal in our house.  Just make up a batch of this rice and keep in the refrigerator to have on hand throughout the week.  Healthy eating does not have to be complicated!  I will have a few other recipes incorporating this cauliflower rice recipe coming soon to the blog!

Grain Free & Paleo Herbed Cauliflower Rice

serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 6 tbsp butter or ghee
• 3/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

• Heat a large skillet to medium heat.  While the skillet is heating, prepare and chop the  onions and all herbs.  Melt butter in skillet and sauté onions, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
• Next make the cauliflower rice.  Slice cauliflower into small florets, removing and discarding most of the stems.
• Using the grating attachment of a food processor to “rice” or shred the cauliflower florets.  Working in batches, pulse cauliflower florets several times, repeating process until all cauliflower is “riced.”
• Add grated cauliflower into skillet with the butter and herbs and sauté for 20 minutes or until cauliflower softens.
• Serve cauliflower rice any of your favorite meats, grilled sausages or with a sprinkle of parmesan, and of course topped with a slice of butter.
• Keep remaining cauliflower rice in the refrigerator and use a scoop as desired.